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Utania Skystrikers
The Utania Skystrikers are the Astra Militarum regiments raised on the planet of Utania, in the Zylos Sector of the Segmentum Obscurus. These regiments serve primarily as an able force of Air Cavalry, using Valkyrie gunships to rapidly maneuver on the tactical and operational level. Utanian units are highly valued by Imperial commanders for their value as light infantry, screening advances and performing rapid flanking maneuvers as well as acting as an excellent quick reaction force, only slightly off put by the Utanian reputation of lackluster discipline outside of combat. History The Planet of Utania was one of the planets within the Zylos Sector colonized by the otherwise isolated planet of Battencia with its limited interstellar capabilities during the Age of Strife. However, thanks to extremely poor communications, let alone travel, to and from Battencia, the planet was soon embroiled in war after a sect of religious extremists known as the Sons of Sagitar began launching attacks on military and civilian targets to sow fear and compliance amongst the Utanian people. It was here, to cross Utania's great plains, and to penetrate her forests and jungles, that the soldiers of Utania first took to the skies, using dropships and other aerial transports to get to that conflict’s myriad battlefields. Sons of Sagitar encampments that were located had to be destroyed quickly, before the insurgents could relocate, and their attacks had to be countered before they could inflict serious damage, and aerial warfare suited this war wonderfully. In addition to the changes the Utanian military underwent as the conflict went on, the people of Utania became more and more estranged towards religion, with atheism becoming very prominent across the planet. When the forces of the Great Crusade arrived, the Imperialis Auxilia allowed the threat of the Sons of Sagitar to very easily be dealt with, and Utania became a thriving Imperial World, paying its tithe in men and resources to support the burgeoning Great Crusade. Regimental History After the Horus Heresy, as the Imperial Guard came to be, it was obvious what sort of unit Utania would raise. With centuries of experience from the crusade and before, the Utania Skystrikers were born. The first crop of 12 Utanian Regiments were almost immediately pushed out of training and into the fray, throwing themselves wholeheartedly into the massive, chaotic campaign that was the Scouring, where the Utanians fought with great speed and vigour to chase those who had nearly destroyed the Imperium back to their holes. This also meant little attention was put on Utania itself, allowing the seeds for the Utanian Insurrection to be sowed. The Utania Skystrikers, despite all the galaxy has thrown at them over their 10,000 years of life, still fight on to this day, though over the millennia their doctrine has become more balanced. The Skystrikers have adopted more defensive techniques rather than the hard-charging offensives of their early days. Now, Utanian regiments are on call doing everything from holding shifting lines of defense against Traitors in Segmentum Pacificus, to dropping in and annihilating the base camps of the Tau Empire, drawn every which way by the needs of the ever-embattled Imperium. A considerable garrison now remains in the Zylos Sector itself, brought under direct threat by the proximity of the Great Rift. Notable Campaigns The Great Scouring (014-021.M31) At the very inception of the Utania Skystrikers, the first 12 Utanian regiments were deployed to nearby sectors embroiled in the Great Scouring, laying upon the route of Traitor evacuation towards the Eye of Terror to the Galactic North. These new regiments took the tactics of their earlier campaigns on Utania and upscaled them for this new galactic battlefield. A favored stratagem became to shadow a Traitor fleet, ideally one consisting mostly of the Legions’ mortal auxiliaries, and wait for them to make planetfall somewhere to replenish supplies. Once the enemy had dispersed, the Utanians came dropping in directly on top of their base camp, ideally overrunning it to cut off any sort of escape route as Imperial Navy forces secured the Void, followed by more Battalions of Skystrikers taking off to pursue the remaining Traitor forces on the world. These highly aggressive maneuvers into close combat, often times against Space Marines, proved effective, but costly in the extreme. The Utanian Insurrection (032-040.M31) While the first Utania Skystrikers were abroad fighting the Traitor Legions, trouble brewed at home. Many Utanians clung strongly to the atheist ways of the Great Crusade, and the sudden rise of an Imperial state religion, the Imperial Creed, caught the people of Utania by surprise. Resentment quickly grew, and in a matter of decades rebellion was imminent. Elements of the Utanian planetary government were complicit, and when the Utanian Insurrection began, Loyalist forces quickly found themselves on the back foot. At the time of the rebellion, three Utanian Skystrikers regiments were in the process of mustering on the planet, the Utanian 13th, 14th, and 15th Regiments. The 13th announced its allegiance to the rebels almost immediately, and the 15th found itself divided, leaving a roughly even split of the planet’s largest military forces on either side. The Utanian PDF, now split along Loyalist and Traitor lines, fought against itself, with brutal close-quarters firefights raging in many Utanian cities. Overhead, fighters clashed at seemingly random intervals as the two factions struggled for air supremacy. The Skystrikers became footsloggers, only rarely able to engage in their preferred airborne attacks. The 14th fought a month long campaign to clear out the Utanian capital, then held a perimeter around the city from repeated counterattacks. As the people of Utania fought amongst themselves, the Loyalists were only relieved by the arrival of their comrades from the frontlines. The Utanian 1st descended on Traitor positions, routing the traitor concentrations from around the Capital, and putting the enemy on the back foot. What followed was another asymmetrical war, as Traitor forces fought on from the backwoods and the jungles, forcing Utanian forces to once more to wage a large scale counterinsurgency on their home soil. The final four years of the war were spent in this manner, and it began to wear heavily on the Utanian populace, who became more and more tired of the war until, finally, Imperial victory was achieved. Organization Doctrine One thing in common with almost all Utanian regiments is air-mobility. Whatever a regiment is, and however it is employed, it will almost certainly rely on Valkyries and Vultures to rapidly ferry men and materiel into hotzones, and then to provide close air support once the battle is joined. On the offensive, a Utanian troops are at their most utilitarian. Their intense mobility allows them to partake in rapid flanking maneuvers and raids with great efficiency. This also lends them well to search and destroy missions, making them valuable screening troops. Often times they will be sent ahead to protect an advancing Imperial column, or to secure vital objectives like bridges for said column to cross. In particular cases, like when they are fighting particularly undisciplined foes, it is not unheard of for Utanian regiments to partake in shock assaults, dropping right in front of or amidst an enemy formation. However this is something many Skystrikers units are not particularly suited for. Meanwhile, on the defensive, Utanian troops will usually quickly move into position to blunt an enemy attack and establish Forward Defensive Bases, fortified encampments that can vary from platoon to battalion size. These bases are placed to mutually support one another and Artillery Firebases in the line behind them to provide support. The sudden appearance of a line of FDBs has disrupted many an offensive by the foes of the Emperor. In cases where this is not particularly practical, Utanian forces will simply dismount their transport craft and man standard lines of fortifications like other Imperial Guard units. Order of Battle The standard Utania Skystrikers regiment consists of mostly airborne infantry, organized into smaller units as follows: *'Regiment' - 15,000 men *'Battalion' - 3,000 men *'Company' - 200 men *'Platoon' - 50 men *'Squad' - 10 men There also exist several special variants of the standard Utanian Skystrikers regiment, and while these are less common they are still prevalent across the Galaxy. Artillery Regiments The most common of the variant Regiment types, the Utanian Artillery regiment has a vital role in combat operations. They augment the organic artillery of the basic Skystriker regiment by being able to rapidly set up batteries on request, shelling targets designated to them by mainline Utanian or other Imperial forces. Armored Regiments The Tank Regiments within Utanian service perhaps predictably tend to use lighter Leman Russ variants, many manufactured at the nearby Forge World Epipolae. Slightly modified dropships are used to carry these tanks into action. To meet the weight requirements for this, among other changes, the two sponson weapons are removed and armor is stripped down, leaving the tanks less powerful than the standard Leman Russ variants, but still possessing lethal main batteries and capable of providing support. Every Utanian Armored regiment possesses a battalion of standard Russ tanks that are slower to deploy but far more effective. Utanian Ranks Senior Officers The Senior Officers of the Utania Skystrikers have a difficult task, to coordinate the different battlezones in a region and work towards the general objective in that area. competent Line Officers below them can take much of the stress off, but not all Utanian commanders have this luxury. Senior Officers, in addition to directing overall strategy and communications across an area of operations, also oversee and direct the Skystrikers’ attached aircraft, meaning most attached Imperial Navy Personnel belong to this category. *'General' - Utanian Generals are sometimes appointed for special campaigns involving large numbers of Utania Skystrikers guardsmen, but it is a rare honor. *'Lord Colonels' - Utanian Lord Colonels are senior Colonels who command Regiments of the Utanian Skystrikers, the rank of Lord Colonel largely exists so that other Guard Regiments, many of whom use General as their equivalent rank, do not believe Utanian Colonels their inferior. *'Colonel' - Utanian Colonels command Regiments of the Utanian Skystrikers *'Lt. Colonel' - Utanian Lieutenant Colonels command Battalion sized elements of Guardsmen and are generally the highest ranking officer to ever be on the frontlines. *'Major' - Utanian Majors act as Executive Officers to Lieutenant Colonels and sometimes command Battalions directly in their stead. *'Command Sergeant Major'- Utanian Command Sergeants Major act as the Executive or Staff officers to Utanian Majors and Lieutenant Colonels. Line Officers The Non-Commissioned Officer and lower Officer ranks within the Utanian Skystrikers are broadly combined into one category, the "Line Officers". It is these men who are the primary commanders of Utanian forces in the field. Due to the fluid nature of Utanian warfighting, these men are often free to operate with initiative semi-independent of higher command. *Captains- Utanian Captains command Company sized elements of Guardsmen. *'Sergeant Major' - Utanian Sergeant Majors act as Executive Officers to Utanian Captains. *'Lieutenant' - Utanian Lieutenants command Platoon sized elements of Guardsmen. *'Sergeant' - Utanian Sergeants command Squad sized elements of Guardsmen. Enlisted The Enlisted men of the Utanian Skystrikers are, at the end of the day, the ones who close with the enemy and bring victory. They work under the command of the Line Officers, with the direction of their Senior Officers and do the actual bulk of the fighting, alongside their Line Officers. Imperial Navy crews attached to the Skystrikers also belong here. *'Corporals' - Utanian Corporals act as Executive Officers to Utanian Sergeants. *'Trooper' - Utanian Troopers serve as the basic infantrymen of the Utanian Skystrikers. Naval Ranks *'Sky Marshal' - Utanian Sky Marshals command all Imperial Navy elements of a regiment and in theory answers only to the Colonel, though in practice will sometimes obey other Senior Officers.(Senior Officer) *'Chief Liaison Officer' - Utanian Chief Liaison Officers act as Executive Officers to the Sky Marshal in a Utanian Regiment. They may also direct Wings of Utanian aircraft. (Senior Officer) *'Liaison Officer' - Utanian Liaison officers provide a link between Forward Air Controllers and the Senior Officers of a regiment. (Senior Officer) *'Forward Air Controllers' - Utanian Forward Air Controllers are attached to Utanian Skystrikers regiments at the Company level, serving as a more direct link to the higher command and to naval support assets. (Line Officer) *'Crewman' - Utanian Crewmen man and operate the various control and weapons stations on Utanian Aircraft (Enlisted) Recruitment and Training Volunteer service in the Utanian Skystrikers is open to all qualifying Imperial citizens on Utania. This influx of volunteers is used to keep Utanian regiments across the galaxy fighting as close to full strength as humanly possible. Some regiments also recruit from warzones on occasion to provide emergency reinforcements. All infrastructure exists on Utania to initiate a randomized draft-based system of conscription and when the Munitorum calls on Utania to raise more Regiments, or in cases when battlefield losses overrun the influx of volunteers, this system is activated to bring in fresh recruits. Wargear Standard Issue *'1 M41 Ferrata-Epipolae Pattern Lasgun' *'6-8 Lasgun charge packs' *'Combat Knife/bayonet' *'4 Frag Grenades' *'3 Krak Grenades' *'Flak armor' *'Uniform Fatigues' *'Gasmask' *'Micro-Bead Communications Unit' *'Poor Weather Gear' *'Rucksack' *'Entrenching Tool' *'Basic Toolkit' *'Mess Kit & Water Canteen' *'2 weeks' Rations' *'Blanket & Sleep Bag' *'Rechargeable Lamp-Pack' *'Grooming Kit' *'Dog Tags' *''Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer'' Specialist Wargear The Utanians make use of all special weapons that could be expected of an Imperial Guard unit, though they have a preference towards Plasma guns, grenade launchers, mortars, and heavy stubbers. Notable Regiments *'Utanian 1st "Sephiroth" Regiment'- The Utanian First has been active for longer than any other Utanian Regiment, having borne its High Gothic moniker, emphasizing its aerial nature and notable aggression, for many millennia. A product of the Great Scouring, it is known for being far more focused on the direct aerial assault, dropping practically right on top of enemy positions, than most Utanian Regiments. It is a very experienced unit, equipped in many ways to the standard of the Tempestus Scions. It is said that the First’s reputation gives it the effect of five Regiments, bolstering Imperial morale and dampening that of the enemy with its presence. *'Utanian 8th "Pegasus" Regiment'- The first Utanian Armored regiment, the Utanian 8th got its reputation during the Battle of Ivyon during the Great Scouring. Surrounded and facing destruction by the forces of Chaos, the Regiment’s men proved their discipline and skill by loading up and moving the entire Regiment, equipment included, across one of the planet’s continents in only a few hours, escaping destruction and allowing their machines to continue in the fight. *'Utanian 14th "Unfortunate Sons" Regiment'- The Utanian 14th has a storied history, but has recently been run through a string of costly, high-profile campaigns across the Galaxy. As such, it is one of the most depleted, yet most elite Regiments in the Utanian Skystrikers. *'Utanian 82nd "Honor Guards" Regiment'- The Utanian 82nd is one of five Regiments that now helps man the defenses of the Zylos sector, ready to repulse Chaos invasions emerging from the Great Rift across the galaxy. Notable Guardsmen Notable Quotes By the Utanian Skystrikers About the Utanian Skystrikers Feel free to add your own Category:Imperial Guard Category:Imperial Guard Regiments Category:Imperium Category:Light Infantry Regiments